Blogs & Ecology

Credit: Getty Images
Raging seas, angry fires, thirsty deserts; is nature trying to tell us something? Data shows that in the last 25 years, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones have become more frequent in the tropics. Eleven of the warmest years on record since 1850 have occurred in the last 12 years. This collection of images portrays the devastating toll global warming and climate change has started to take.
Continue viewing Natural Disasters: The Effects of Climate Change....

The Maldives, that little stretch of paradise off the coast of India, is looking for a new homeland. Literally. Fearing that the effects of climate change will mean that the chain of 1,200 islands and coral atolls will disappear under the sea because of rising water levels, they are beginning to save money to buy land elsewhere. The UN has forecasted that the ocean will rise by up to 2 feet by 2100. Since some parts of the Maldives are just 1.5 meters (5 feet) above water, even a small rise could cause disaster to the small country.

Image source: Getty Images

Yesterday we reported how the warming seas are linked to the massive sea ice loss we've seen this year (possibly making 2008 the meltiest year on record). Well those warm seas are also changing things in the middle of the planet by making the strongest storms stronger. Data now shows that in the last 25 years, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones have become more frequent in the tropics. Did we mention that 11 of the warmest years on record since 1850 have also occurred in the last 12 years? Hmm.

Image source: Getty Images

Reuters reported this morning that the worst drought in 117 years, which has been ongoing for the last ten years in the Murray-Darling river area, is not expected to let up anytime soon, scientists warn. This affects not only farmers but the global food market as well as Australia's economy, as farmers have been hanging on for years and now find out that they should continue to prepare for the worst.

Interview with New Orleans Musician Amanda Shaw
With Hurricane Gustav threatening the Gulf Coast, TreeHugger's meeting with Cajun-pop prodigy Amanda Shaw takes on a certain urgency. A shadow of concern for her family, friends and home hangs over the interview about her wetlands activism, her part in the IMAX film Hurricane on the Bayou, and her memories of Katrina.

Image source: Planet Green

I went on a tour this weekend at the world's largest nuclear plant in Kashiwazaki Kariwa in Niigata prefecture, western Japan. It has seven nuclear reactors that are currently all undergoing repairs after the massive earthquake in July, 2007. The PR from Tepco, the electricity company that runs the plant, was confusing at first, and it is clear that damage was more severe than initially reported.

photo: Mike Evans

When the subject of earthquakes is brought up here on TreeHugger, most of the time it takes the form of the intersection of green building and earthquake resistant housing or in the case of the recent quake in China, the environmental damage caused afterwards. This one’s about earthquakes yet to come.

photo by Carol Mitchell

It’s nearly conventional wisdom at this point that as global warming increases atmospheric temperatures there will be a corresponding rise in rainfall in some areas. Well that assumption just got some statistical data to support it.

ZO_loft Wheelly: Shelter Cart
The quest to find a suitable, if not ideal, solution to the problem of people dislocated from more permanent housing is a pressing issue which many designers take very seriously. The challenges are great: housing must be readily portable but robust enough to protect the homeless or refugees from the elements. It must be extremely cost effective. It should preserve some degree of dignity for people who are already suffering loss.

Big Green Weekend: Welcome to the Big Green Weekend 2008 by Jason Elliott
"We have a variety of activities planned for you this year as well as bringing you the truly unique Big Green Market, with their blend of ethical, eco-friendly, Fairtrade and just plain wacky goods on offer in the Hebden Bridge Marina. 24th, 25th, 26th May"

DeSmogBlog: Power of 10 by Kevin Grandia

Families waiting for relief goods in makeshift houses in Labutta, a town in the Irrawaddy division of southwest Myanmar. AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Forty hours ago we asked TreeHugger readers to contribute to Architecture for Humanity's fund to put together a team to start planning for the reconstruction of Burma. They got it in 24 hours. We talked this morning with Cameron Sinclair in Korea:

TH: Did TreeHugger readers make a difference?
CS: I have no idea, but the average donation was $45! Nothing over $100, all individuals.

Cyclone Nargis has just ripped through Myanmar, formerly Burma. While only 5% of the country was hit, it is where 25% of the population lives. Even where people survived with minor damage to their houses, they now face water shortages, food prices have quadrupled and the rice crop has been wiped out. Trees are down everywhere. In the middle of this we got a call from Cameron Sinclair, co-founder of Architecture for Humanity.

TH: Where are you right now?

View from a grain elevator in Greensburg. Nearly all of the town's buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged by the May 4, 2007 tornado.